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No. 626,3l9. Patented :une la, |899. E. M. THoMPsoN.

STAVE FOR BABRELS.

(Application led Nov. 29, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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Me@ Ey Y Tn: no o1 UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.'

EVERT M. TI-IOMISON, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO VILLIAMv I'I. HUBBARD, TRUSTEE, OF SAME PLACE. v

STAVE FAOR BARRELS.

SPECIFICATION fOrmIlg part Of Letterslatent N0. 626,819, dated J' une 13, 1899. Application filed N Member 29, 1898. Serial No. 697,756. (No model.)

Z'o all 1071.071?J t may concernh and stiffnessof such staves are mitigated or Be it known that I, EVERT M. THOMPSON, a 5 overcome by external corrugation, lateral or citizen of the United States, residing at Inlongitudinal, or both. danapolis, in the countyof Marion andState Referring now to the drawings, which are 55 5 ofIndiana,have invented certain newand usemerely illustrative of certain conditions, ful Improvements in Staves for Barrels, rbc., mechanisms, and modes of treatment which of which the following is a speciiicatiomrefmight not otherwise be understood, Figure l erence being had therein to the accompanying is an end view indicating a log and showing drawings. approximate lines of direction of cut of so- 6o io Thisinvention relatesto staves forbarrels, called radially-cut staves. Fig. 2 is an casks, pails, and the like, such asI are used end view indicating alog and the lines of cir for merchandise other than liquids. cumferential cut by which Vcircumferential The object of my invention is to cheapen lumber is produced, as in veneer-cutting mathe cost of manufacture of such packages of chines. Fig. 3 is an edge and end view, and 65 the better grades by using staves properly pre- Fig. 4 a face and end view,of a rectangular slat pared from made lumber cut as nearly as may supposed to be cut from circumferential lumbe with the laminze of the wood as it grew, ber. Fig. `5 is a diagrammatic representation and particularly to produce from such staves of compressing-rolls and guides and a slat slack barrels thatshow a more uniform robetween the same undergoing simultaneous 7o zo tundity and tighter joints between the staves bending and' pressure. Fig. fis an enlarged than are shown ordinarily in slack barrels representation indicating the approximate made from the ordinary kind of staves. position of bent-wood bers before compres- The invention is largely based on changes sion. Fig. 6 is an end view of slat between produced in the cellular structure of wooden pressing and curving rolls. Fig. 7 is a sec- 75 2 5 staves. tion of slat, showing inclined knives by which By breaking down and resetting the celluthe edges of the staves are cut. Fig. 8shows lar structure mainly on the inner surface plan, edge, and cross-sections of a completed while the slat is bent longitudinally I pracstave with transverse corrugationsA or ridges ticallyeliminate thetendencyto warp,perma indicated on the convex face thereof. 8o 3o nently shorten the bers of the shorter face of To correctly describe the presentinventiou, ihebentstave, so that it will remain bent, and it will be necessary to revert to the art of reduce the porosity ofthe wood, so that it will making barrels, lrkins, pails, and similar have less aftinity for moisture. By straining packages. the cellularstructure of the slat previous to Barrels or casks for containing liquids are 85 35 its conversion into a stave in widthwise direccalled tightbarrels and are made by special tion, but not to the extent of breaking down machines. Barrels for flour, sugar, salt, vegthe cellular structure or destroying the elasetables, and the like are known as slack77 ticity, I provide staves which will compress barrels. The staves of a barrel arch in two or compact under the hoop-pressure, but have directions and the strength of the barrel de- 9o 4o elasticity to close the joints tightly and eX- pends largely upon this double-arched form. pand sufficiently to compensate for shrinkage lThe staves of a pail or tub generally arch in (lue to climatic changes, duc. By compressone direction only. My invention is applicaing the fibers of the inner layers or laminze ble to staves either for barrels or tubs and of the slat to greater extent than the outer in either may be produced. For pails or tubs 95 45 widthwise direction the tendency of the staves the staves need not be arched lengthwise, but

to form a true arch in the hoops is increased. the hoops will determine this. These treatments of staves are especially ap WVhile numerous attempts have been made plicable to such as are produced from lumber to produce barrels from lumber cut circumcut by a constantly-advancing knife from a ferentially of the log, Fig. 2, these attempts Ioo 5o rotating log 0r what is known as veneerhave not been largely successful, for the reacut lumber. The objectionable slickness son that staves made from this circumferentially-cut lu mber are very liable to warp and shrink and swell and are stiff and slippery and in other ways objectionable, and many more slack barrels are at present made from staves cnt radially, so called, than from staves cut circumferentially of the grain of the wood.

The best staves as heretofore made are supposed to be cut radially of the log. Referring to Fig. l, it will be seen that only a few staves can be made from a log on actual radial lines. The radial staves, which are cut quite transversely to the rings of growth, are few in number. Those nearest tothe radial stavcs are more or less oblique to the radii of the log, and as they depart Very considerably from radial relation to the grain are called .bastard i staves. They are subject to greater or less degree to the objections heretofore existing in circumferen tially-cut staves.

The waste in cutting staves radiallyis enormous, as there are many triangular pieces of timber unsuitable for staves, and the desire to utilize as much as possible of the timber of the log causes the staves to be made of varying widths. This in turn produces irregularity in jointing, as the curve of the edges of a wide stave must be greater than the curve of a narrow stave, and the bevel also differs, and in slack barrels as made from radial staves the curvo and bevel are in general but approximations to the theoretical best form.

The economy of production of lumber cut on a spiral approximately in the direction of the lamin of the tree is very great, as lumber of great width may be produced by cutting with a constantly-adwtncing knife from a rotating log in manner Well known. The lumber so produced as the basis of my staves should be somewhat in excess of the thickness of the desired stave. Such lumber is cut or formed into what I denominate slats, of uniform length, Width, and thickness, such length being preferably the length of the completed barrel-stave and the width and thickness in excess thereof. These slats are thoroughly dry when subjected to the treatment hereinafter described. A in the drawings indicates such a slat. The grain of the Wood in such radially-cut lumber and in the slats A runs pretty nearly in the direction of the length' of the slat. The laminze of the wood produced by the tree growth are superposed nearly uniformly, the layers generally extending substantially the full width and length of the slatpthe number of such layers depending on the grain of the wood and the thickness of the slat. As the circumferentially-cut lumber may not be of absolutely straight grain, suchvconditions of laminte are approximate, noty absolute, but the nearer the laminze of the wood approximate uniformity throughout the slat the better is the stave likely to be. The width of the slat is generally in the direction of the annular rings of tree growth and the thickness of the slat in direction through the laminas of the wood or nearly so. Such a slat is less liable to split than a radial slat of like proportions and is much stiffer. Great objections to stares made from lumber heretofore have been that they are too sti and tend to cup in,7 and so-depart from the arched shape necessary to make a perfect barrel, that they are slippery, so

that the hoops slip from the barrels, and, as has been stated, that they shrink and swell with `changes of temperature and changed hygrometrical conditions.

Any departure from a true arched form in any of the staves of a barrel weakens the barrel materially. Barrels of salt. cement,- and the like frequently collapse under the weight of superimposed barrels, and almost always by reason of a cup-in stave or staves. A barrel of perfect form hardly ever breaks under pressure, and the strength of such a barrel is enormous.

In carrying out my invention and by amachine to be described in a subsequent application the slats A of radially-cut lumberthat is, with the wood layers extending in the general direction of the length and breadth of the slat and super-posed to form the thickness ofthe slat, said slats being in a dry or seasoned conditionare passed to power-driven rolls, as B B'. These rolls are ot great strength and compress the slat very materially-say as much as one-fourth, more or ened relatively to each other. rlhe endeavor of the wood to resume normal conditions is the elastic energy of the wood. lf the cellular structure ofv the inner fibers be permanently broken down while under the compression strain of bending, the longitudinal elasticity is permanently destroyed in large measure. Y

The slats A are fed to the rolls B B' while subjected to the'longitud'inal bending strain of guide-pieces C C. The smooth roll l5' acts ou the compacted and bent inner surface of the slat and breaks down and compacts the bent and loosened fibers, reducing the thickness of the slat by perhaps one-sixth. The roll B, acting on the convex face of the arch, serves as a bearing against which the compression takes place. This roll preferably has [ine longitudinal and sometimes circumferential corrugations, which are impressed into the outer surface of the bent sla The amount of compression or breakin g down of cellular structure necessary to secure permanent curvature of the slat depends on the character of the' material. Vith some wood it may be necessary to pass it through a series of rolls, increasing the compression; but by one or more passages of slats between rolls of this general character, applying great pressure to a small surface of wood, I am enabled to permanently destroy or largely re- IOO IIO

duce thelongitudinal elasticity of the wood by this breaking down of the cellular structure, and the bend or longitudinal arch of the slats is made permanent, or the slats are so weakened as to stiffness that they can be readily bent and drawn to arch shape by the hoops of the barrel in the further-progress of construction. lVhile not so stiff, the slats after passing through the bending-rolls and guides are compacted, and probably stronger to stand external concussion'than before the treatment. 'lhecorrugation of course tends to reduce the slick or slippery condition of the slats. Such a slat, bent or broken down in lengthwise direction, is marked AA in the drawings. The concave face is smooth and the laminze compressed.

The line of compression is preferably a straight line transverse to the slat. As the slat is compelled at this line to assume the position of the roll-surfaces, any warp which the slat may have had is there eliminated: The Slat which may have been warped and buckled is permanently trued bythe compacting while under tension.

As the cellular structure of the dry slats is broken down by the pressure and the wood solidified and rendered less porous, the wood is thereafter less subject to climatic and hygroinetric changes.

Permanent lengthwise bending of the staves lessens the labor of making a barrel, for it avoids the necessity of using a wndlass and heater, as employed in the common process of making barrels.

The permanent compacting of the cellular structure of the slat places the material in excellent condition for the widthwise st-raining of the cellular structure, which I will now describe.

The bent slat AA is preferably subjected to widthwise compression or partial crushing between the powerful rollers D D, said rolls being formed at their edges in such manner as to impel the slat into an arched position transversely, a guide-piece E assisting in the pressure. A very great pressure may be applied by rolls in this manner, and the wood can be compacted widthwise to a considerable extent, and the transverse arch of the varying pieces is thus formed to a uniformity of curve, and a permanent tendency toward such a form is established in the material. The slat thus arched in two directions is indicated at AAA in the drawings.

The Widthwise pressure on the slat must not be so great as to permanently reduce the width of the slat in any material degree and it is left so that the elasticity of the wood in this direction restores it to its old width, but the material having been once partially crushed can be a second time compressed (as by the barrel-hoops) milch more easily.

vVeneer-cutI lumber is more elastic in the direction of its width than radial lumber. This is probably due to the laminated structure of the tree. After the cellular structure of a slat or stave is once strained by the treatment described it will be relatively easy to impel the stave to its arched forni, yet the elasticity will remain in the material to close the joints of a barrel.

I find that a piece of wood strained progressively, as by passing between rollers, resumes its former .dimensions more readily than if compressed simultaneously, as in a clamp. The order of the procedure of these steps in the treatment of such material in the production of staves might perhaps be reversed, and where more than one pressure is desirable the steps may alternate. The pieces may pass through several machines, but I have devised a single machine to produce completed staves from slats A, and such will form the subject-matter for an application to be filed hereinafter.

The double-arched piece AAA becomes a stave when jointed. I have devised a special machine in which all staves will be jointed with a uniform bevel and taper, but such a result may also be attained by other mechanism.

F F indicate blades by which the beveling or tapering cuts or joints of the stave may be made. These knives or other cutters F are arranged to cut the stave at angles approximating the radii of circles of which the transverse arches of the stave are segments.

In slack barrels the bevel of the edge of the stave is preferably such that the inner edges of the staves are first brought in contact when the barrel is first set up, and the pressureV of the hoops closes the joints by compression of the material. In my compressed staves the fiber or cellular structure of the wood having been strained Widthwise and the Widthwise elasticity of the wood having been developed there is less resistance to the closing of the joints than in the staves as usually heretofore made. Thus the quarter of the staves ordinarily provided for is unnecessary with my staves, as the material of the stave once crushed will compress under the pressure of the truss-hoop and barrelhoops to form tight joints with much less difficulty than would staves not so crushed or compressed.

Itis desirable to have all the staves of a barrel of uniform size for strength, appearance, convenience in assembling, and convenience in manufacture. I have devised what I call ratio staves With extreme end Width of 3.1416 inches and middle width according to the length and bilge of the barrel. With such staves each incrh in diameter of the barrel-head adds one stave. A fifteen-inch head requires fifteen staves and an eighteen-inch head eighteen staves. i

The staves described herein have been produced after many years of study and experiment and long experience in the manufacture of wooden articles. The nature of the cellular structure of the wood has been carefully studied and the conditions necessary for suc- IOO IIS

cessful results ascertained. I have commercially demonstrated that barrels made from staves cut from circumferential lumber and compacted, as hereinbefore indicated, are not only absolutely cheaper, but stronger, tighter, more symmetrical and of better appearance than the best barrels made from like material with radially-cut staves. The corrugations on the outer side of the staves give to the barrel a velvety or corduroy appearance, which is quite apparent and may be with the grain or across it, or both. The hoops are tightly held on such a surface, but maybe driven on or off with sufficient facility. The corrugations, however, are very slight in depth and do not sever the outer laminas or layers of the Wood.

Of course it Will be understood that the arched staves of barrels resist most of the compression strains caused by piling barrels on each other, rbc. The expanison strains tending to burst the barrel are resisted by the barrel-hoops.

Other mechanism than rolls might be used for compressing Widthwise the Wood of the staves-as, for instance, a hydraulic press; but as rolls Will apply an enormous pressure quickly, thus starting the pithy laminze of the Wood, and as the pressure is quickly removed, permitting the material to resume its normal position as near as may be, I prefer rolls as means for developing compressibility and the consequent Widthwise elasticity.

It will be understood from the foregoing that I start With a material (veneer-out lumber) which is at the extreme as to the objectionable features of stiffness, slickness, tendency to warp, doc., but is about uniformly so. By subjecting this material to a violent quick compression While bent in the long arch and to a considerable compression While bent in the short arch I permanently change the character of the Wood, so that the staves produced are of a remarkable uniformity and are tractible and in most, if not all, respects superior to the much more expensive radiallycut staves,vvhich have never been uniform in any considerable number either as to merits or defects.

What I claim is-'- I. A wooden stave composed of laminas extending generally in the direction of the length and Width ot' the stave, and having the cells of its inner layers broken down and com-v pacted mainly on its inner surface so that A such layers are shorten ed,wl1ereby lon gitudiing the outer surface transversely corrugated,

substantially as described.

layers being more compacted than the outerV layers, substantially as described.

4. A Wooden stave having the Wood laminze extending in the general direction of the length and Width of lthe stave, and having the lateral elasticity developed by an edgewise compression of the stave, and this arching tendency developed by a greater compression on its inner surface than on its outer surface, substantially as described.

5. A Wooden stave having the Wood laminas extending in the general direction of the length and Width of the stave, the layers of the Wood having been com pressed as to thickness more on the inner side than on the outer, and more thanthe natural Wood formation, said stave compacted Widthwise lnot beyond the elastic vlimit of the wood, substantially as described.

6. A Wooden stave having its Wood laminze `extending generally in the direction of the length and width of the stave, having the inner layers broken down and shortened to a greater degree than the ou ter layers, and having the sidewise elasticity developed by side- Wise pressure, and having the external or convex surface roughened by corrugations, substantially as described.

7. A Wooden stave having its laminze extending in the general direction of the length and width of the stave, and having its arch tendency in direction of Width developed by pressure to the distortion of the original Wood structure, the inner layers being strained to greater degree, in widthwise direction, than the outer layers, substantially as described.

8. A Wooden stave having the Wood laminze extending generally in the direction of the length and Width of the stave, permanently arched lengthwise by the compacting of the cellular structure of the inner layers whereby said laminze are shortened,and having a tendency to arch Widthwise developed by compression and straining of the laminas in Width- Wise direction, substantially as described.

9. A barrel-stave, having the Wood laminze extending in the general direction of the length and width of the stave, and having its inner laminze compacted to a greater degree than the outer laminze,l and to a greater degree than the natural structure of the Wood, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EVERT M. THOMPSON.

'Vitncsses:

JN0. W. KEALING, LnWIs C. WALKER.

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